The Excellent Diner in Westfield, NJ

The Excellent Diner, a cherished Westfield, New Jersey establishment, opened its doors in July 1935 and served the community until its closure in July 1995, spanning nearly 60 years. This is the story of the diner’s rise, fall, and eventual revival. The Café des Cascadeurs now occupies its former location.

Situated on North Avenue across from the train station, the Excellent Diner was a classic dining car eatery and a Westfield staple since its founding in 1935. Stella and Louis Lukas, who moved to Westfield that year, owned the diner for 40 years before selling it to Steve and Harriet Frasiolas in 1975.

The original diner, with its mahogany and marble interior, was operated by Louis and Stella Lukas from the start. In 1951, they commissioned Jerry O’Mahony, Inc., based in Elizabeth, to construct a new stainless steel diner, which was installed at the site. For 44 years, this iconic structure provided Westfield residents with high-quality diner fare.

Jerry O’Mahony, Inc., a prominent dining car manufacturer, built the Excellent Diner in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1951 and delivered it to its Westfield location, where it stood for 44 years. Known for its “streamlined beauty,” the diner featured rounded corners, stainless steel trim, and a classic “rail-car” design. Measuring 23 feet wide by 100 feet long, its first phone number was "Westfield 2 – 1582."

In 1975, Steve and Harriet Frasiola purchased the diner (but not the underlying property) from the Lukas family. For the next 20 years, the Frasiolas made the diner a local favorite, serving comfort food to commuters and residents seven days a week.

The menu featured beloved dishes and daily specials, including pancakes, hamburgers, omelets, and hash browns, all of which were served seven days a week.

On August 25, 1995, the diner was relocated, and its foundation was demolished shortly after. The move was prompted by the inability of Mrs. Lukas and the Frasiolas to agree on the sale of the property where the diner stood.

The Excellent Diner closed on July 30, 1995, when the Frasiolas’ 20-year lease on the property expired. Steve Frasiolas emphasized that the closure was not their choice but a necessity. However, the diner was not gone for good; it was set to reopen in Germany before the year’s end.

“Oldies But Goodies,” a company focused on exporting American nostalgia to Europe, collaborated with Ralph Palumbo III of Milburn and Bernd Richter of Heubauch, Germany, to relocate the diner. According to Palumbo and Richter, the Excellent Diner would be the first authentic U.S. diner brought to Germany, distinguishing it from inauthentic replicas already present there.

Palumbo and Richter noted that 1940s and ’50s American nostalgia was highly popular in Germany. Richter mentioned that major German media outlets were eager to cover the diner’s relocation, reflecting widespread excitement in the country.

Later, Walt Disney Studios purchased the diner and moved it to the grounds of Euro Disneyland. On March 16, 2002, it reopened at Walt Disney’s Studio with a new name, a refurbished exterior, and a modernized interior, while still preserving its 1950s-style decor.